I will try to do some fun how-tos, fly-tying, and fishing techniques that will help many anglers up their game. Just started this YouTube channel, so please subscribe and let me know what you would like to see? This is all new to me, so please be understanding and patient as we embark on this video journey together. -Al Q
A fun evening last night at the Long Beach Casting Club with many members coming out to learn more about our local corbina fishery. I did a casting demo, a fly-tying demo, a furling-a-leader demo, and a 45-minute slideshow. Many great questions, and good information was distributed. I think we got them fired up to give this local fishery a try. Like I said, learning to fly fish for corbina or local carp will humble you and will make you a better overall fly fisher. Period! Put in the time; failure is just another word for learning. The more time you spend on the water or the beach the better you will understand how to approach these fish. It’s the best game in town, this time of the year. Great tides next week, get out there! -Al Q
I’ll be speaking and doing a few demos next month with my friends from The Long Beach Casting Club in Long Beach.
Should look something like this:
Casting Demonstration 5:00 – 5:30pm
Leader setup 5:30-6:00 pm
Fly Tying (Holy Moley) 6:00 – 6:30pm
Corbina Presentation: 7pm
Hope to see some new and old faces. I will also have some books and Corbina patrol decals for sale.
Tight lines, but not too tight!
– Al Q
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is honored to present the Bob Popovics Memorial Online Auction, featuring a remarkable donation from the Popovics family that includes Bob’s personal collection of engraved saltwater reels and hand-tied flies, along with nearly 50 stock saltwater rod-and-reel outfits that will be distributed to chapters supporting current and future saltwater fly-fishing programs for Veterans. A proud United States Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, Bob found lasting solace and renewed purpose in fly tying upon returning home, a passion closely aligned with Project Healing Waters’ mission. To heal America’s Veterans through the therapeutic art of fly fishing. Bob’s family’s generous contribution supports a community dedicated to fostering restoration, resilience, community, and lasting connections in the journey toward healing.
BOB POPOVIC’S ONLINE AUCTION: Click Here!
BEGINS: Monday, May 11th at 10am EST ENDS: Saturday, May 16th at 10pm EST
Click on the QR code to link to the auction!
This is beyond a tragedy for Bob’s family and all of the saltwater fly fishing community. A slap on the wrist!
READ HERE!
One Trip, Two Anglers, Three Legendary Guides. Please join some of my good friends on the East Coast for a great time on the water and support a good cause.
Click here for more info!
The original “Beast Fleye” hat designed by Al Quattrocchi is back by popular demand. Proceeds from each hat ($5.00) will go towards “The Bob Popovics Memorial Scholarship Foundation” to benefit students pursuing a career in environmental science, hospitality, or agriculture. This hat is 100% cotton, constructed from brushed denim, and has an adjustable brass fixture for universal sizing. It is a limited edition (only 12 hats for sale) Wear it proudly, knowing you will support a great cause in BobPop’s name. (Fly in photo was tied by Scott Stryker, and is NOT INCLUDED)
ONLY 15 HATS ARE AVAILABLE!!!
For all other donations, please send to:
The Bob Popovics Memorial Scholarship Foundation
414 Barramore Avenue.
Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey 08734
It’s been a wild summer. The wind in early August never quit in the afternoons; we had fluctuating swells and side currents. Lots of sand crab beds and lots of scattered fish. If you found the big crab beds and holding structure, your odds were seriously increased in hooking fish, simply because they would be concentrated in one area, and odds were you would get bit. Corbina are not honest fish; they grab the fly when they feel like it. Maybe you piss them off, and it’s a reaction strike, or perhaps they are thinking it’s a live sand crab and they are hungry? We will never know, but that’s what makes this game one of the most challenging in the surf. Important note: We only post fair-hooked Corbina on this site; everyone fouls fish including us, especially when they are concentrated in groups. It is very easy to accidently run into one with your fly, but they are immediately released sans photo. Don’t believe everything you see on social media!
The best feeling is getting one to eat the fly in the corner of the mouth or sometimes inhaled into the back of their throat. That’s an accomplishment. Something to celebrate with a photo and remember.
There are many outings I don’t catch a Corbina, but I always learn something, and as long as I see fish and can cast to them, I am having a great time. My morning is often made by watching my buddy hook up or seeing a total stranger catch one on the fly, fair. I still think these fish are one of the hardest to catch on a fly, so the skunk or stripe is always going to be part of this game. If you like consistently pulling on fish, this game is not for you. But if you want to become a better angler, one who values patience and determination, this is your game. I can’t get enough of it, I’m a sick man. LOL -Al Q
PS: if the water temps remain in the seventies the next tide cycle we be worth fishing, there is still a good volume of fish in the system. We have been getting a few on the pink merkin \ holy moley flies. good luck!
flies, sand & surf 